


Claire's Return

by orphan_account



Category: Outlander (TV), Outlander Series - Diana Gabaldon
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-10-23
Updated: 2015-10-24
Packaged: 2018-04-27 17:23:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 1,865
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5057290
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Claire promised Frank she wouldn't tell Brianna he wasn't her real father while he was still alive but what if he died a lot sooner when Brianna was about thirteen? What if it made Claire look into what happened to Jamie?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Beginning

**Author's Note:**

> I'm going to be writing this story in first-person so we'll see how that goes

Claire's POV

It's been eight months now, eight months since that terrible car crash, me and Frank may have not had the best relationship but he was my husband and he loved Bree like she was his own flesh and blood. Bree had taken it hardest but as life settled into a routine the pain lessened for both of us and life got more or less back to normal. But Frank's death made me re-evaluate everything that had happened in my life, it had been about fourteen years since I returned to my own time, since I last saw Jamie and suddenly I couldn't stand not knowing what happened to him so I decided that this summer me and Brianna would take a long holiday in Scotland to spend some time together and find some information about Jamie.

A month later I found out everything about what must have happened in the last fourteen years for him too from his be sent home to Lallybroch deeply injured but alive to his hiding in a cave for seven years to being held prisoner at Ardsmuir Prison he would almost ending his parole now. So once I gathered my thoughts and what this information could mean I realised the first thing to do was to Brianna the truth so I sat her down one night and told her everything the whole story, or nearly everything obmitting the more disturbing parts mainly related to Black Jack Randall when I finished she didn't believe me at first but after I took her to see Ellen's portrait and some time she seemed determined to meet Jamie.

* * *

 I wasn't sure what I most felt when I found out Jamie was still alive, the intense relief at the knowledge that he'd escaped culloden or the sadness for all the time we lost if I had only looked back before and when I thought of him being so alone I felt myself go numb. The main problem was what do I do now, could I really just drop everything I worked so hard for and let Brianna go through that swirling madness that was the standing stones at Craigh na Dun with me, who knows what we would find there or what Jamie's reaction would be at us just showing up out of the blue but still I researched everything I could about Craigh na Dun and the people that disappeared, I even went to see Mrs Graham, Reverend Wakefield's old housekeeper because I knew she used to be apart of the druid rituals there and believed in the stories about people travelling through them, she told me everything she could about how the stones seem to work now all I had to decide if we should go. 

Brianna unfortunately felt we had to go there perhaps it was like when a child finds out they're adopted and wants to find out where they come from when I asked she said with amazing maturity for a girl her age that hearing everything Jamie had gone through he deserves to know that sending us here wasn't for nothing that we're alright.


	2. The Journey

Claire POV

I wish I knew that I was doing the right thing but I did know that Bree was right that Jamie deserves to know that sending us away wasn't for nothing. It also wasn't right to keep Jamie from meeting his daughter now I knew he was still alive. I organised everything it just approched samhain and Mrs Graham said it was best to travel then and I managed to get some appropriate clothes so we wouldn't stand out as much as the first time I went although Brianna still refused to wear a dress so we had to settle for breeks. I got together a bag of my gold jewelery and the few coins I still had not wanting to throw anything away. I had the trip all planned out once we got through the stones we head to Inverness where I should have enough money to get a horse to carry us to Lallybroch and today was the day and we just made it to the top of the hill to Craigh na Dun where he went into the centre of the stone circle when I turned to Bree and asked her.

"Do you hear it?"

"I think so it's like an odd, buzzing noise."

"Bree are you sure you want to do this?." I asked her.

"Yes, I think so, why?, Do you not want to go?."

"Of course I do, but I need to to know you're sure about this too."

"I'm sure, if we wait any longer and he leaves Lallybroch we'll never find him, and.," Bree paused for moment as if gathering her thoughts. "...I know if don't see him I'll always regret it and before I told you I wanted to go meet him also I thought about the way you talked about the two of you together, I don't you ever spoke of Daddy that way."

At this I bent down and pulled Bree into my arms lightly stroked her back and started saying softly, "Oh, Lovey, I'm sorry your Daddy and I we...,"

"Mamma, don't be sorry," Bree quickly interrupted, "I don't think there's anything you could have done differently I just feel like...," she started speaking softly now, "well that we just have to go, I'm exactly sure as to why but we have to."

* * *

Despite the horse we managed to purchase, which Bree insisted on naming Lennon, was of good stock and both me and Brianna not weighing very much even with the few things we brought it still took us a three day trip to reach Lallybroch, even with my intense nervousness about what we'd find here I couldn't deny how much joy I felt at seeing this place again after so long. It was midday when we reached the yard outside the house and I could hear the dogs announcing our arrival, I had just managed to get myself off the horse and help Bree down when the front door strung open to reveal my old friend and sister-in-law, Jenny Fraser Murray.

When she got a good look at me and saw who it was her face went completely white, eyes bugging out and her mouth opening and closing, staring at me for a long time silently until she managed to say in choked but questioning voice, "Claire?,"

"Hello, Jenny." I said in nervous giggle "It's good to see you again," and suddenly deciding to get all the surprises out of the way as soon as possible, I pulled Brianna in front of me, who had uncharacteristically been hiding behind my skirt the whole time and continued on "this is my daughter, Brianna."


	3. The Reunion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay we're going to try having this chapter from Jamie's POV so we'll see how this goes. Also Jamie by this time in my story has finished his parole which is only a couple years earlier than in the original story.

Jamie POV

It had been two months since I retuned to Lallybroch from Helwater and while I was glad to be home with all that had happened with Geneva and Willie it had left me empty and realise how alone I was without my Claire and the child I would never get to see. I trusted John to love and care for Willie in my place but he was still my son and I still regretted having to leave him, I never told anyone about him not even Jenny or Ian it's a burden I'll have to carry alone for now. Being back at Lallybroch was also strange to me after so long away the tennants and even my younger nieces and nephews were still unused to my being here and I didn't know how to fix it, I wasn't even sure if I should stay here.

Me, Ian and Fergus had begun the day early and seen to most of the animals and were working together to mend an old fence when I heard someone yelling at the bottom of the field, we all looked up and saw it was Young Jamie who had just turned nineteen running towards us yelling, "Uncle Jamie!", "Uncle Jamie!", "Uncle Jamie!". Seeing how he for some reason wanted me I spoke up first, "What on earth is the matter with ye, Lad?."

Young Jamie stopped in front of me breathing heavily but managed speak still taking in deep breaths between each word, "Uncle...you've...gotta...come...ta...the...house...now."

"Why is it?, Is it the english?." I said worriedly and already starting to walk back to the house with him with Fergus and Ian trailing behind also deeply confused and concerned about whatever this was about.

Young Jamie who had managed to get his breath back enough to speak properly again said with the corner of his mouth turning upwards, "Not exactly,"

"What's that supposed ta mean?". I said starting get frustrated at this remark

"Ye'd never believe it, ye have ta see this for yeself."

* * *

We finally got to the house and into the palour with Jenny waiting for us wearing the most odd expression on her face which only added to my confusion so I asked,

"Jenny what is it?, what's happened?."

Whatever it was Jenny didn't know how to say it but came out with, "There's someone in the drawing room to see ye."

"Who?." I asked

"Just go."

I headed towards the sitting room and tried to think about what would put Jenny and her eldest son in this state, John would never be foolish enough to bring Willie here at least I hope not. I opened the door and there standing by the fireplace was someone I never thought I'd ever see again, It was Claire.

At first I thought maybe I'd somehow fallen asleep while out in the fields and it was another of my dreams but she then started to move towards me and stop right in front of me and said my name softly while reaching out one hand towards my cheek barely touching it and I knew at that moment it wasn't dream this was real, then all of a sudden everything went black.

When I awoke my head was in Claire's lap with her looking down at me smiling and she said jokingly, "That bad is it?."

"You're real." I said barely paying any heed to what she said while taking my head out of her lap to sit up, never taking my eyes off her.

"So are you, I thought you were dead," she said her eyes filling up with tears and suddenly thrusting herself into my arms squeezing me around the waist and I wrapped my arms around her holding her tight, promising to myself to never let her go again. I don't know how long we stayed that way just holding each other weeping in each others arms until a sudden thought burst into my head I pulled away slightly to look into her eyes and I asked, "Claire, the child?,"

"She's here, Jenny let us both clean up as soon as we got here but she insisted on having Maggie take her upstairs to get changed, unfortunately for her Jenny has enough Fraser stubbornness to out match her niece when it comes to appropriate clothing for a young lady."

"She?."

"You're daughter, Brianna."


End file.
